Vénascle dry canyon (Verdon)

Description

Join me in the wild and magical dry canyon of Vénascle, located near the beautiful and popular tourist village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.

To get there, we'll leave the village and reach the Vénascle plateau via the Roman road, then rappel down to the bottom of the canyon. A section of walking and downclimbing will follow before we reach the central part of the canyon. This section is very narrow and steep, sometimes even dark, and will be punctuated by about a dozen short rappels. The final part of the canyon is much more open and will feature longer rappels. We'll finish our descent at the confluence with the Angouire canyon. Here, we'll begin our return to Moustiers via a first trail, then the botanical trail. Carpooling is possible to avoid the ascent via the Roman road (which has a fairly significant elevation gain). This route requires a reasonable level of fitness, particularly due to the downclimbing sections.

I will ensure your safety throughout the journey, while teaching you the different progression techniques and helping you discover all the richness of the site (geology, fauna, flora, etc.).

If you want other vertical adventures in the region, I recommend the nearby descent of the dry canyon of Notre-Dame above Moustiers-Sainte-Marie or, why not, a discovery of multi-pitch climbing in the Gorges du Verdon.

Program

• Meet in the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (upper parking lot) at 8.30am.
  I will explain the activity, distribute your necessary equipment for the canyoning descent (harness, lanyards, helmet, belay device, etc.), and answer any questions you may have.
• Approach: There are two ways to reach the Vénascle canyon. Either from Moustiers via the Roman road, which will require a 1 hour 15 minute hike with a significant elevation gain. If possible, we will organize carpooling to the Vénascle plateau, from where we will hike to the canyon in about 20 minutes (easy walk).
• Canyoning descent: After a safety briefing and equipment usage instructions, we will begin the descent. Two rappels (a short one, then a longer one) will allow us to reach the canyon floor. We will hike through this section and soon reach the very narrow part of the canyon. We will alternate between hiking, downclimbing, and numerous short rappels to traverse it. We will then reach the second part of the canyon, much more open and brighter. This section will involve longer hikes, more significant downclimbing, and, above all, longer rappels. We will finally reach the confluence with the Angouire stream, which will mark the end of our descent and the return route.
• Return: A path will allow us to climb back up towards Moustiers. We will then cross an area of ​​ruins and old terraces, remnants of rural life in bygone days, before reaching the village via the Tréguier botanical trail.

The price includes

• Supervision by the climbing instructor.
• Loan of equipment necessary for the practice of the activity: ropes, harness, helmet, lanyards, belay device, etc.

The price does not include

• Round-trip transportation to the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, an hour's drive south of Digne-les-Bains.
• Picnic.
• Snacks.
• Drinks.
• Anything not mentioned in "The price includes".

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